LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 22
Translator: FenrirTL
Editor: Saphartlantis
========================
< Chapter 22: The Otherworldly Dwarf Gallery >
The race that excels at making items is the Dwarves.
Why are Dwarves so good at making items?
Is it because they are persistent? Or because they enjoy making items?
None of those reasons are sufficient.
The reason Dwarves love items and have a fanatical belief in them is because it was the only way to overcome their physical limitations.
—
─Why are Dwarves short?
ㄴWhy is your dick small?
ㄴYou bastard
ㄴHe got scratched lololol
ㄴWhat’s with this damage exchange lololol
ㄴSo, why do demons have horns, why do elves have long ears, and why do dark elves have black skin?
ㄴWhy do beastmen have fur and become furries… Why do suspiciously rich people get attracted to them…
ㄴBecause it turns them on
ㄴSir.
ㄴIsn’t it true that there’s no reason?
ㄴㄹㅇlolol Why look for a reason
ㄴJust like there’s no reason for me being unemployed, there’s no reason for Dwarves being short lolol
ㄴOh, right, right lolol While my friends already have decent jobs and are married with two kids, I’m just at home being a bum without any reason lolol
ㄴStop hitting me, it hurts too much, stop saying bad things
ㄴWhy am I short even though I’m not a Dwarf?
ㄴMaybe you are a Dwarf?
ㄴDoes that mean my parents are Dwarves?
ㄴAre you sure they’re not?
ㄴ? You’re right; I’ll go ask now
ㄴI got kicked in the shin
ㄴWhy would you ask that, you crazy guy lololol
—
As well known, Dwarves are short.
According to the traditional, systematic, and rational Elf measurement system, they are about 55 inches tall.
(According to other races’ standards, about 140 cm.)
Even as adults, they are only about the height of children from other races, having inherently disadvantageous physiques.
Being short means having shorter limbs.
In combat, reach is critical, and Dwarves thus faced an unreasonable penalty.
As a result, they could only rely on weapons.
Absolute weapons!
To compensate for their short limbs, they created enchanted weapons and accessories.
Fortunately, their short bodies boasted high density, making it easier to create equipment.
Where was the living ground of such Dwarves?
Of course, it was the forge where they made weapons and armor.
However, the problem was their location, tucked away in the heart of a high mountain chain.
The Dwarf country, Terrin, was remote and was mostly subterranean due to their many mines, which was a drawback.
What good was it to make many quality weapons?
To sell them, merchants still had to cross mountains after mountains.
Even if they sold a lot, did they get much money?
No, they didn’t.
Due to high transport costs, the money they got was barely enough to grease their mouths with pork fat and drink some beer.
But the person who solved all these problems was Moderator.
“Yeah!!!!!”
A Dwarf chugged beer and burst into a hearty laugh.
For them, every day was now a festival!
Since the auction house opened, there has been no end to the laughter.
The money earned from selling weapons at the auction house was incomparable to before.
And the beer and snacks they could buy were now incredibly cheap in comparison.
—
“Let’s drink until we die!”
The festival was so intense that some Dwarves were actually dying from drinking too much beer.
But there was no Dwarf to stop the deathly beer party.
How could they hold back from this fortune that came after so long?
Screams and laughter echoed.
Most Dwarves drank beer like it was water.
But not all of them were partying away.
—
“Hmm…”
“Uhm…”
“Hmmm…”
Some Dwarves were sitting with their chins resting on their hands, deep in thought.
They hadn’t even taken a sip of beer and their faces were dark as if they’d just been hammering away.
—
“Is this design correct?”
“I’m telling you, it is! Just start hammering─”
“But how much does the material cost? You want to start hammering right away?”
“Bro, so you’re going to meticulously work with these delicate materials, engravings, and enchantments and expect everything to go as planned?”
“Isn’t that why we’re gathered here to make that happen?”
“Does anyone here understand that?”
—
At the words of the last dwarf, the others fell silent.
Even if a Dwarf is crazy about equipment, they lack understanding if it’s not their specialty.
So when they gathered to make an item together, it was impossible for their opinions to align.
Imagining the final product, infused with everyone’s skills, was thrilling.
But planning the process was certainly not enjoyable.
—
“It looks like it will break during the engraving process.”
“It won’t break, I’m telling you.”
“Let’s just start hammering first.”
“Hey, be patient!”
“We just need to modify this part, right?”
—
Everyone had different perspectives and opinions. Maybe the idea of making one item together was flawed from the start.
The atmosphere became one of giving up before even starting.
—
“Ugh.”
“This part is strange.”
“If you know so well, why don’t you make it yourself?”
“If I knew how to engrave, I would have done it all.”
“Anyone can talk, right?”
—
They were all experts who had been in this field for decades.
Naturally, when someone interrupted, their pride got scratched.
Even a slight touch was a critical hit!
Since the talk of creating the masterpiece started, there had been dozens of critical hits among them.
Their patience was commendable, given that no punches had been thrown yet.
As blacksmith Beric Flair watched all this chaos, he finally spoke up.
—
“Can we really make it like this?”
“We can make it! Why wouldn’t we?”
“No, I’m saying we can’t make it if we can’t even start.”
“That’s…”
“From the beginning, isn’t it strange that we’re fighting? When did we start arguing instead of hammering when we didn’t know something?”
“….”
—
It was true.
Since when did theories, structures, processes, and such trivial things become concerns?
—
“From the start, if we fail, we can just do it again.”
Thousands of attempts and thousands of failures. Blacksmiths are those who are not afraid of tens of thousands of hammer strikes.
There was no reason to keep fighting.
—
“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s get started.”
Blacksmithing is a conversation between hammer and anvil.
Even if you fail, you can try again.
If the materials break, you can just get more.
—
**Weapon Blacksmith**. Grom Stonehammer struck the weak part of the heated obsidian.
*Bang! Bang!*
He started to shape it, cutting away the weak part.
He shaped it into a convenient ring that could be worn at any time.
—
Next was **Armor Blacksmith**. Balin Ironforge refined the shape.
*Huuuup!*
With precise hammering, he trimmed the rough shape into a neat circle.
This task alone required hundreds of hammer blows, a demanding job.
As he, drenched in sweat, stepped back, it was time for **Jewelry Blacksmith**. Scotlin Blacksteel began.
*Phew….*
Despite being tough, the obsidian had thinned enough.
If the force distribution faltered, it would break easily.
This part of the design was anticipated to have the most issues.
Obsidian is hard enough but easily shattered.
The task was to apply just enough force not to shatter it while creating small grooves for engraving.
It required exquisite force control.
He scraped the obsidian hundreds of times, just barely touching it.
*….*
His hand stopped.
The work wasn’t finished yet.
According to the design, grooves had to be engraved at regular intervals.
But his intuition screamed not to do so.
His deliberation didn’t last long.
Theory is just theory.
What had brought him here was his countless experiences and instincts.
Following his instincts, he carved the slots for the engravings.
Not at regular intervals, but gradually narrowing.
—
*Drip drip drip.*
Sweat trickled down his cheeks and dripped from his chin.
When the work was finished, the completed mold was beautiful and enchanting to anyone present.
—
It was a culmination of a generation’s dedication, reaching the dwarf’s limits of skill, and unmatched craftsmanship.
This small obsidian piece held all of that.
—
“Damn it.”
**Engraving Blacksmith**. Haglin Stoneheart couldn’t hold back his curse.
Even engraving at regular intervals was so demanding it made one’s hair fall out.
And now, with even narrower intervals? The insane increase in difficulty made him grit his teeth.
—
“Crazy bastard, making something like this?”
Though his words were harsh, his hands holding the mana pen were delicate.
Each tiny engraving soaked into the obsidian ring.
—
Gripping it so tightly, his nails broke and blood flowed out.
This task required such intense concentration and force.
—
“Haglin.”
“Shhh.”
—
Afraid he might ruin his hands and lose everything, someone tried to stop his work, but his colleague intervened.
—
“He’s almost done.”
—
There was an end in sight to his work.
As he engraved the dense patterns, mana undulated.
—
“Hah….”
—
The final task was reinforcing the ring for long-term preservation.
**Beric Flair** raised his massive hammer.
—
“Bless us!”
—
*Boom!*
* * *
The Gallery Auction House had various functions.
The most intuitive feature was the item detail information.
―Rick’s Blacksmith
[Ordinary Sword]
Enchantment: Durability (C)
Instant Purchase Price: 15 Silver
**********
Magical items could be identified even in the auction house.
Therefore, there was a suspicious buzz about finding weird items in the gallery.
Title: How about this?
[Elf’s Old Panties]
Enchantment: Preservation (B)
Instant Purchase Price: 3 Gold
***********
Should I buy it;;; Hm;;;
ㄴShould I buy it? Hm, what the hell lolol
ㄴYou’re hesitating over this? lolol
ㄴWho the hell enchanted this with preservation? lolol
ㄴBuy it first and smell it.
ㄴWhy is the smell important? lolol
ㄴIf the smell isn’t important, why buy it?
ㄴSeriously;
ㄴThe smell is important, yeah;
Title: Found a Suspicious Item
[Suspiciously Suspicious Statue]
─? (Hidden)
─? (Hidden)
─? (Hidden)
─? (Hidden)
─Starting Bid: 4 Gold 12 Silver
***********
What is this?
ㄴScamming the gullible on lolol
ㄴWhy would anyone buy this?
ㄴSometimes ancient relics show up like this?
ㄴThere are quite a few of these in real auctions too.
ㄴI’ll buy this, wait a sec.
ㄴOh, shit
ㄴlolololol
ㄴYou got scammed, dude lololol
Title: Won the Bid, What Do You Think?
[Suspiciously Suspicious Statue]
-Enchantment: Causes Diarrhea
-Enchantment: Causes Stomachache
-Enchantment: Causes Chills
-Enchantment: Curse
**********
Move along if you’ve seen it
ㄴlolololololol
ㄴWhat kind of trash item is this lololol
ㄴHow much did you pay?
ㄴ5 Gold
ㄴYou burned 5 gold on trash? Hahaha
ㄴCan’t you give this as a gift to someone you hate?
ㄴWho would accept this, just look at it lolol
ㄴSeriously, it’s a stone statue holding a suspicious knife, covered in moss? Who would take this lolol
ㄴOh, man lolol
Title: I Found Something Too
[Ring of Infinite Gratitude]
―?
―?
―?
―?
―?
―?
―?
―?
―Non-Biddable―
***********
What is this?
ㄴHow many enchantments are there, geez lololol
ㄴWhat kind of item is this?
ㄴThis is imperial treasure level?
ㄴInsane;;;
ㄴBut why can’t we see the detailed abilities?
ㄴSeems like it’s too high level to identify?
ㄴWow, this is truly a crazy item.
ㄴIs it cursed?
ㄴThe name doesn’t sound cursed though.
ㄴBut why can’t it be bought?
ㄴMaybe there’s a purchase restriction?
ㄴIf there’s a restriction, only the moderator can buy it, right?
ㄴOh, a post just went up, follow my link.
A post was uploaded in the gallery.
**Title : Oh! Moderator! This is Our Gift to You!**
(Pic of a Dwarf Grandfather’s Massive Thing.jpg)
ㄴAh, shit
ㄴYou son of a bitch
ㄴI’m going to bomb the dwarf mine, fuck
—
This wasn’t a bait post.
—
**Title : Oh! Moderator! This is Our Gift to You!**
Check the auction house
A few minutes ago. A dwarf had posted a message.
The content wasn’t much and seemed ordinary, but one thing was certain.
It was an item made for Moderator.
─But what did he do to deserve such an item?
ㄴRight?
ㄴIt’s obvious. The Terrin Kingdom, oppressed by the Theseus Empire, must have lobbied Moderator in advance. Otherwise, there would be no reason to open an auction. In a world where they naturally have to watch the Empire’s reactions, acting like this means they intend to make an enemy of the Empire.
ㄴShit, these kind of comments are a mountain of crap.
ㄴLook at this, another delusional political comment lolol
ㄴTurn off the gallery before you break the old men’s staffs lolol
ㄴFor real lolol Political maniacs make everything about politics, it’s crazy
ㄴBut… then why did they give a gift?
ㄴ?
ㄴRight?
ㄴDid he suck up to them?
ㄴWhat sucking up, you crazy bastard lolololol
ㄴFuck lololololol
**Title : Moderator, Be Honest**
Did you suck up to them?
ㄴFuck lolololol
ㄴThis guy must not be afraid of getting banned lolol
ㄴAngle grinder is broken lolol
ㄴHow well did you suck up to get something like that lolol
ㄴThe moderator is currently fixing his fallen jaw, so he can’t browse the gallery lolol
ㄴYou guys should leave too lolol
ㄴSo, does anyone know the reason?
ㄴIt seems like… he did something personal for them, which is the most plausible answer
ㄴThen does that mean the Terrin Kingdom and the moderator have a connection?
The gallery was instantly on fire.
Although Moderator doesn’t engage in external activities, does the Terrin Kingdom know something?
The Terrin Kingdom knows the answer!
Of course, the reaction of the person involved in seeing this was simple.
“? What the fuck.”
Did I suck up to the Dwarf King?